Baseball Game Preview: Jac-Cen-Del Eagles vs. South Ripley Raiders

For the second straight game, Jac-Cen-Del will face off against South Ripley. The Eagles will challenge the Raiders at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Jac-Cen-Del is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.

On Saturday, Jac-Cen-Del sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over South Ripley.

Neil Sullivan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Sam Johnson was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double. That double was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Ricke, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.

South Ripley has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-5 record this season. Those defeats can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Jac-Cen-Del, their win bumped their record up to 9-4.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jac-Cen-Del has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Ripley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.